A Rose By Any Other Name
by aconsultingwizard
Summary: Hermione finds out that she is adopted... My take on a well worn cliche, hopefully slightly more believable and true to Hermione's character.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: So… yeah, it's me again, guiltily posting another multi chapter… oops. Anyway, I've read a few of these, and although they all seem to have the potential to be great, they're all a little too OOC for me. So hopefully this stays a little more true to Hermione's character.

Also, for those of you who know me (and my rubbish updating habits) I have chapters already written so don't worry, I'm actually going to update regularly.

—

"What the hell!"

Hermione spun round and grabbed her wand from the dresser beside her bed. "Who are you? What are you doing in my house!"

The wizard who had just apparated into her hallway didn't look like a ministry official. He certainly wasn't from Hogwarts. He calmly walked towards her, waving his wand and before she could do anything her wand flew into his hands. "Hey! What do you want?"

Hermione was panicking now. She was alone in the house, she didn't have her wand, and her phone was downstairs. Not that there was anyone she could call anyway. The police probably wouldn't really cut it in this situation.

"Isabella?"

Hermione looked at him. Now that he was closer she could see that he was a man slightly older than her father, wearing traditional robes in a deep green. She had no idea who Isabella was but she was pretty sure that he had appeared to the wrong house. He didn't seem dangerous though, so she relaxed a little.

"Can I have my wand back now?" She spoke firmly, keeping her eyes fixed on him. "I don't know who Isabella is-"

He laughed. "You live here yes?" He curled his lip slightly and Hermione scowled defiantly.

"Yes, I live here. This is my house. You're trespassing."

He shook his head sharply. "You will respect me girl. I shan't stand for your cheek."

"I don't know what you're talking about but you should go."

He sighed irritably. "They told me you were smart. Clearly the filth you've lived with has poisoned your mind more than I thought."

Hermione's eyes flashed angrily. "How dare you!I don't know who you are but you should leave. Now. Before my parents come back."

"Parents." He scoffed at her and she looked back at him utterly bewildered.

"Uh… yes?" That was fairly obvious, she thought.

"Not anymore. I'm Mr Nott, your real father. You don't really think that someone as smart as you could be a mudblood do you?" He kept talking while Hermione watched him in disbelief. "We left you here almost 17 years ago, but don't worry, you can come home now." He smiled for the first time, and he looked almost kind. Not that she believed he was here for any kind of altruistic reason.

Hermione snorted. "That is rubbish. My parents would have told me-"

"Well, of course they don't know! You don't think we'd trust a couple of muggles with our secret do you? A couple of spells is all it took to convince them that you were their daughter. A couple more and they'll forget you ever existed."

"What! You can't do that! Are you crazy?"

He watched her patiently. "I apologise for leaving you here in this despicable place for so long but really, we had no other option. Now, you will come with me, do you understand?" His voice was steely and Hermione was still utterly confused.

He held out his arm. "We will travel by side-along apparition. Come along my dear."

"No way!" Hermione didn't know what this man was thinking. Of course she wasn't just going to follow him when he had broken into her house and was making up a load of rubbish.

"I will explain more if we can just get to the manse."

"Look, Mr Nott. I don't know why you think I'm your daughter but I'm sure I could owl St Mungo's, they could check you out…" Hermione trailed off. That this man was insane was obvious, and she was concerned for both herself and her neighbours.

"Hermione?" She saw the man spin round and she froze as her mother stepped through the front door.

"Who's this? Sir? Step away from my daughter please." Mrs Granger's voice was firm, but Hermione could hear a slight tremble as she faced up to the older man. The man sneered and raised his wand once more.

"Obliviate." He muttered and the woman sunk to the ground. "Don't worry, I'll come back and do a more thorough job later."

"How- How dare you? This is my family!"

"You should be grateful I didn't kill them." He snarled and grabbed her arm tightly. Suddenly it was as if the floor had dropped out beneath them and her stomach flipped over as they left.

—

They landed with a thud, and at first Hermione was too disoriented to fight the firm grip holding her in place. She looked around the room they were in. A huge entrance hall, with an elaborate staircase, thick carpets and grand portraits lining the walls. The place was grand, but cold. There was an air of gloominess throughout the hall, despite the candles in the chandeliers burning brightly.

"Welcome home."

She looked up sharply to see the man looking down at her. She shook herself free and took a step back, with no idea where to go.

He snapped his fingers and a house elf appeared. "Dinky. Take Mistress Isabella to her room." He turned away and Hermione found herself dragged away by the elf.

"Dinky! Stop!"

"Mistress must be coming with me." The elf gave her a toothy grin.

"I'm not your mistress. And you have to stop- I need to go home."

The elf ignored her and continued running along until they got to a dark wooden door. She pushed it open and dragged Hermione inside. Hermione turned around to run back the way they had come and demand she be taken home but the elf disappeared with a crack and the door swung shut.

Hermione rushed to open the door but found it locked from the outside. Without her wand she had no way of opening it. She turned to the windows and found them bolted as well.

Finally she gave up. Close to tears she sat down on the bed and looked around her, taking in her surroundings for the first time. The bed was a huge four poster, similar to the beds at Hogwarts but far prettier. The wood was beautifully carved and the covers were a deep blue. Bookshelves lined the farthest walls and she couldn't help but wander over to see what books there were. The floor was wooden, and this room, unlike the others she had passed, was well lit by a wide window. She couldn't help but feel that if she had to be imprisoned somewhere, this was a rather nice cell.

Her practical nature kicking in, she began to walk around the room, carefully looking through every drawer and cupboard in an attempt to find something- a key left carelessly lying around, even simply something she could use as a weapon to defend herself. Everything was empty, until she looked in the large wardrobe that stood beside the bed. Inside, on one solitary hanger, was the most beautiful dress she had ever seen. As she reached out to touch the fabric a note fluttered out. All thoughts about the dress gone, she eager scanned the note.

 _Dearest Isabella,_

 _I would like you to join us for dinner at 7 o'clock this evening. The door will be unlocked and I expect you to come and find us in the dining hall (the third door on the left on the ground floor)._

She scowled once she'd finished reading. That was it? No explanation? She looked around the room but couldn't see a clock- there appeared to be know way of telling when 7 o'clock was. Impatiently she began to pace the room, searching again for some escape route.

—

Eventually the door clicked open. Hermione jumped up from where she had thrown herself down in frustration and ran out, looking around for whoever had opened it. Seeing no one, she crept down the stairs, looking for a window or a door.

When she reached the hall they had arrived in it was empty. She ran eagerly towards the door and had just touched it when there was a crack. She turned to see Dinky the house elf glaring at her.

"Dinner is this way, mistress." She pointed and Hermione, seeing no alternative, followed reluctantly.

"Ah Isabella." The man from earlier looked up at her as she entered. He was sitting at the head of a long table, in a room that was empty except for a dark haired boy who continued staring down at his plate.

"I see you didn't wear the gown I provided." He looked over her jeans and cardigan and sneered disapprovingly.

"No. I didn't." She glared at him. "I think you owe me an explanation. You abduct me from my home, jinx my mother, keep me locked up here, and then refuse to explain who you are."

He tutted. "A little respect wouldn't go amiss. But perhaps you're right. After all, I did leave you with that filth for seventeen years. And I do apologise that you had to be locked in, I had some urgent… business to attend to."

She scowled at him, crossing her arms defensively.

"Do take a seat my deer. The venison is particularly delicious tonight." He waved an arm and the seat next to him drew back from the table.

"I'll stand." She said defiantly and he sighed.

"Where do you want me to begin? You were born in the middle of a war, it was a dangerous time. Your mother and I worked for the Dark Lord, and as the war drew to an end we knew that we would not be on the winning side. When your mother died in childbirth, I knew that I could not raise two young children from Azkaban. My sister agreed to take one child, but I could find none willing to raise you." He paused, taking a sip of his wine. Hermione stood watching him, her fists clenched by her side.

"So I did what I had to in order to keep you safe. I couldn't allow my daughter to be raised by blood traitors and taught lies about us. I thought it was better to leave you with a muggle family and retrieve you as soon as I was released from Azkaban. I simply altered the muggle's memories and left you with them. Unfortunately, I was delayed for several years more than I had hoped, and it is only now that I am able to welcome you home."

"I'd like to go home now." She said, her voice firm.

He snorted in return. "This is your home now. You are back where you belong, and I intend to keep it that way."

"Clearly you are delusional. I have a home, a family-"

"A family who no longer have any memories of you. Even if you went home they wouldn't recognise you."

Hermione spun round and walked out.

"You can't leave! The wards won't permit it." The man called after her but she ignored him, stalking up the stairs back to the room she had left earlier. Once there she slumped down onto the bed, sobbing into her pillow in a combination of fear, anger and confusion.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N Um, I guess I forgot to give any context last time? I was just really excited to post the story. Anyways… Story is set at the end of the summer between fourth and fifth year, so it follows canon up to the end of 'Goblet of Fire'

Thanks to everyone who read/favourited/followed/reviewed, love you all xx

Also, apologies about taking so long to respond; dying of exams but will go do that now x

* * *

"Breakfast is served mistress."

Hermione stared around blearily, wondering for a moment where she was. Suddenly she sat up as she remembered the events of the previous day. The house elf was back, straightening the sheets and dusting spotless furniture. She groaned and got up.

"I told you, you don't have to call me mistress."

The elf looked at her as if she were stupid and then disappeared, leaving Hermione alone. She tried to smooth out her crumpled clothes and then hurried downstairs. She would be of no use to anyone without food, so she would just have to risk whatever it was that passed for breakfast here. A tear crept down her cheek as she remembered the cooked breakfasts that her dad used to make but she wiped it away defiantly. She would get out of here and find her parents. He couldn't keep her locked up forever.

She was so distracted that she walked into the edge of the table. She looked up in shock to see the boy that she had seen yesterday glaring at her.

"Watch where you're going." He growled.

"Theodore." A man's voice cut across the room sharply. "Be polite to Isabella."

Hermione barely even noticed that he had called her Isabella as recognition dawned on her. "Theodore Nott?"

He rolled his eyes and continued eating his sausages. Hermione found that she wasn't hungry anymore.

"All these years that you've bullied me and laughed at me and what? I'm just supposed to sit down and play happy families with you?"

He scowled. "I didn't know- I never would have-"

"Oh of course. I was a mudblood then." She spat the words out, a furious glint in her eye. "Now that you've dragged me out of the 'mud' I'm sure you expected me to be so busy fawning over you in gratitude that I'd forget the years of hell that you put me through."

"Isabella please." Mr. Nott interjected.

"My name isn't Isabella!" She shouted, almost hysterical. "My name is Hermione Granger and I want to go home!"

Mr Nott stood up. Keeping his voice a furious quiet he snarled back at her. "Your name is Isabella Nott and this is your home now."

"NO! This must be illegal, or something, I'll- I'll- " she stuttered, wondering what she could even do.

"Stop being so childish. You will stay here until you leave for Hogwarts. I will ensure that the damn fool running the school knows of your situation"

She bristled in indignation. "I want to see my friends. You have to at least let me owl them."

She watched him consider her demand carefully. "Fine. Perhaps they'll be able to talk some sense into you. Dinky will show you to the owlery when you have written your letter."

She raised an eyebrow dubiously. "And what guarantee do I have that you won't intercept my mail."

He chuckled. "Ha. So you are clever, after all. Good. But I suppose you'll just have to take my word for it. After all, what alternative do you have?"

She refused to think about his rhetorical question and simply took a plate, grabbing a couple of pieces of toast and a rasher of bacon. "I'll eat upstairs."

Not pausing to hear his reply she left, heading back to her room.

* * *

 _Dear Harry and Ron,_

 _I don't quite know where to begin. Yesterday a wizard turned up at my house, claiming that I was adopted and that he was my father. He took me to his house, where I am now. I don't know what to do. He doesn't seem to want to harm me, but I am, for all intents and purposes, a prisoner here. Ron, I must ask that you speak to your father and see if there is anything he can do to help me._

 _Please write back quickly, as I am afraid of what will happen otherwise._

 _Hermione_

She watched the owl fly off into the cloudy sky, willing it to return quickly. The letter had been hard to write; after all, how was it possible to put into words the bizarre and awful experiences of the past few days?

As the owl disappeared she wondered what she was supposed to do for the rest of the day. Normally she would visit the library, or meet up with friends, but neither of those were really an option. She considered trying to explore the house and look for escape routes; fireplaces or unlocked doors, but recalling Mr Nott's comment about the wards she decided not to waste any time. She didn't plan to be stuck here long, so exploring was pointless. Hermione sat down on the rough stone steps and listened to the soft cooing of the birds behind her.

"Isabella?"

She hadn't heard the footsteps approaching, and now she was staring at a pair of scuffed back shoes. Hermione refused to acknowledge whoever it was until they used her real name.

"Surely Isabella is better than Granger?" The voice was mocking and she was sure that it was Theo. "Wouldn't you rather use your birth name than the one given to you by those muggles?"

She clenched her fist but didn't respond and he continued talking.

"By the way _Isabella_ , your things arrived. Father said to tell you-"

At that she looked up and he grinned triumphantly. "What things?"

"Oh, just some stuff father brought from the place you were living. Looks like garbage mostly, but he said to take a look."

Hermione jumped up from her uncomfortable seat and stared at Theo.

"Let me past."

"Certainly." He stepped aside and she walked past him. He leant down just as she was next to him.

"Perhaps you'd rather I called you sister." He said quietly and she looked up at him, eyes blazing with fury.

"Never."


	3. Chapter 3

A/N Sorry guys, I know it's late, but the next chapter will be up on Sunday as usual. Again, thanks to all of you supporting this story :)

* * *

Hermione sat on her floor, sorting through the three boxes that were full of all of her possessions. There was not much that Mr Nott had deemed worthy of coming with her. She did at least have all of her school books, so she could begin preparing for school. A brief feeling of relief surged through her; he wouldn't have bothered bringing her books if he didn't intend to let her go back to school.

She refused to unpack her things, to acknowledge that this place was a long term place to stay, so she left everything in the boxes. If she had to leave in a hurry she could shrink everything and hide it in her bag. She turned her attention to the last box, the one that held all the clothes that Mr Nott had decided were 'suitable'. It was pitifully few outfits, none of her jeans or hoodies had made it. He had left her with a few tops, and some dressy outfits that her mother had bought for various parties and weddings that they had attended. She grabbed a skirt and top that weren't too awful and made her way to the en suite.

Dressed in a new outfit, she felt more confident and decided to actually do something productive. She looked over the shelves in her room but the books were all fairy tales and histories of various pureblooded ancestors. Although she thought that they might be fascinating to read, she decided that nothing there was useful to her for now.

She carefully looked around outside of her room; apparently she didn't need to be locked in anymore. As the corridor was empty she stepped out. She set off walking cautiously down the hallway in the direction opposite from the one leading down to the entrance, peering into rooms with open doors. She passed several room similar to hers, obviously this was where guests stayed. She briefly wondered who would want to stay at the gloomy mansion with the horrible Mr Nott, but decided that she didn't actually care. At the end of the hallway she came to a standstill; the corridor split into two. Hermione took the left hand turn and followed a flight of stairs upwards. Not the next floor most of the rooms were locked. There were a couple of rooms that looked like studies and then finally she found the room she was looking for.

Hermione couldn't help the gasp that escaped her as she stepped into the huge library. It was beautiful. Books lined the walls, and a landing ran around the edge of the room above her head, presumably so that one could reach the books furthest away. Deep green sofas were placed at intervals between bookshelves and a few desks were clustered in the centre of the room. She stared around, utterly amazed.

"What are you doing here?"

She looked around, dragged out of her reverie in surprise. The surly question had come from Theo, who was sitting at a desk, pieces of parchment and books spread out around him.

"I would have thought that was fairly obvious… what does one usually do in a library?"

"Ah yes. The Gryffindor bookworm" He said contemptuously. "I'm surprised you made it this long without a book."

She huffed a sigh of exasperation and turned to leave. There was probably another library, or if not she could come back when he wasn't here.

"Wait!" She turned to see Theo standing up. "Isabella! I'm sorry- I didn't mean to…"

She looked at him in surprise. "I told you not to call me Isabella." She wasn't angry though, his apology had thrown her off balance.

He ran a hand through his hair and walked towards her. "I'm sorry. It's just, I can hardly call you Granger. And it would be weird to call you Hermione." He shrugged. "When father told me about you, I was furious. I couldn't believe that he had sent you away. At first, he wouldn't tell me who you were, just that I had a sister. I thought… well I suppose I couldn't wait to meet you. It's lonely here."

Hermione stared at him in disbelief. She couldn't quite believe that she was actually hearing this confession from one of the toughest Slytherins in her year. But of course he had to ruin it. Theo's voice cracked a little and he straightened up, his tone growing colder.

"But then I found out that my sister was _you._ The know-it-all mudblood from Gryffindor was Isabella Nott. And suddenly you weren't a mudblood. Father was so excited about meeting you. But you don't belong here, you don't deserve it. And worst of all, you don't even want it. You should be honoured to be a Nott."

She glared at him and opened her mouth but he continued talking. "And you know what the real joke is here? I can see exactly why you don't want to be here. We made your life a living hell, why would you want to stay under the roof of a man who would have spat at you on the street if he hadn't known who you really were. You can't bear to know that you're really one of us."

"I will never be one of you" she spat out.

"Whatever. I'm going now anyway, so have fun with whatever you're doing." He said tiredly and walked past her, leaving his work on the desk.

"The books on Wizarding Law are on the third bookshelf on the right." He called back over his shoulder.

Hermione scowled and waited until he was gone and then ran over to where he had pointed. She realised, to her surprise, that he had been right. Perhaps more pressing was the fact that he had known what she was looking for- was she really that obvious?

Collapsing onto a sofa with a stack of heavy books full of the laws that concerned the Wizarding world she sighed and began to read.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N Right, so I don't speak Italian, so I'm not entirely sure whether any of the Italian here makes sense… If you do speak Italian, please do correct me. I just want Blaise to kind of slip between the two, even though no one else understands him.

Anyways, this is the last of my pre written chapters, but I am done with exams (who says I can't organise stuff?) and so I have a whole week off to write ahead! Thanks to everyone supporting this, the email notifications I get whenever someone follows/favourites/reviews make me so happy xx

* * *

She had got into a habit of waking up early so as to be able to eat breakfast on her own. She was forced to eat dinner with the others, and tended to eat as quickly as possible then run, but otherwise she barely saw Mr Nott, and Theo seemed to be avoiding her. Today however, she had just sat down when Mr Nott joined her at the table.

"Isabella. Lovely to see you."

She clenched her fist slightly at his use of her false name but didn't say anything. She had learned that arguing about it got her nowhere, and that if she ignored it he was far more bearable.

"Now, I have some business to deal with today. Some of Theodore's friends are coming by the mansion to celebrate the last few days of the holidays. I'd like you to meet them."

She froze. "No."

He looked at her incredulously. "No?"

"I will not spend my day pretending to be polite to people like Pansy Parkinson and Malfoy."

He smirked slightly. "Yes, I always have found it difficult to be genuine with the Parkinson girl. Never matter though, Theo has many other friends. Although I do wish you would acquaint yourself with the Malfoy boy, Lucius and I are very dear friends."

"I think Malfoy and I are acquainted enough." She said stiffly.

"Hmmph. He didn't know who you were before. Now I can assure you that you will receive nothing but politeness from him."

"Of course, now that I'm not dirt beneath his feet-"

"Isabella. You will achieve nothing if you refuse to accept the prejudices in this world. By all means attempt to convert Draco Malfoy." He chuckled slightly "But do not waste my time by tirelessly bringing up certain mistakes I have made in the past. You _will_ spend the day with Theo's friends."

* * *

She sat in the largest of the mansion's many lounges opposite Theo. Mr Nott stood by the door, possibly to ensure that she didn't escape the dreadful encounter that she was sure was about to ensue. The flames in the fireplace flickered green and died down as a green clad boy leaped out of the flames.

"Theo!" The other boy sprang up and slapped the boy, who Hermione now recognised as Blaise Zabini, on the back.

"Blaise! How are you?"

"Grande! Le mie feste erano brillanti" Theo laughed and stood back, allowing Blaise to look around the room.

"Mr Nott. Great to see you." He nodded politely and then glanced over to Hermione in shock.

"Blaise, this is my sister, Isabella Nott. We have only just found her again, after being separated for a very long time." Blaise stared at Hermione and she could feel him silently judging her.

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Isabella." He muttered reluctantly.

"I'll leave you to it." Mr Nott said, stepping out of the room. The second he was gone Hermione's face relaxed into a scowl and Blaise turned to Theo.

"What the hell is Granger doing in your house? È il vostro padre insano?"

"Shut up. I told you, long lost sister, blah blah blah." Theo turned away dismissively and Blaise grinned. "That's crazy."

They began a quiet conversation, which was only interrupted when the flames flickered higher and two more figures stepped out in quick succession.

"Theo! Blaise!" Pansy Parkinson, dressed in an alarming shade of pink threw her arms around the boys and planted a kiss on each of their cheeks. "I've missed you so much! How were your holidays? Mine were awful, mother dragged me out to Florida again… so barbaric!" She took a deep breath and continued speaking in a high pitched voice, punctuated by sharp giggles. "Oh, and you'll never guess who I met- Oh! Theo what is _she_ doing here?" She turned to Hermione with an expression of disgust on her face.

"This is Isabella. You know how I told you my sister was coming back this summer? Well, guess who's been living with muggles for the last few years. Isabella, this is Pansy Parkinson and Tracey Davis." Theo gestured to the quiet girl who Pansy appeared to be dragging around after her. Hermione stared at them both quietly.

"Oh! Theo poor you! Imagine having to live with someone like her." She shrieked and turned and flounced off. Hermione stared after her in shock. Tracey looked at her sympathetically, the first person to show her any pity so far before Pansy grabbed her arm.

Fortunately the next people to enter the room, Crabbe and Goyle, didn't even notice her presence, and as the room filled up with Slytherins they were all too involved in the food and drink and music to notice her.

She settled down on her sofa and resolved to make her escape in a fe minutes. Theo wouldn't notice, and Mr Nott would never have to know.

A girl dressed in a pale blue dress approached Hermione and she glanced up in surprise.

"Hi. I'm Daphne Greengrass."

"Hermione Granger."

"Oh." She looked faintly surprised. "Theo said we were to call you Isabella."

Hermione scowled. "He did, did he?"

"But I can call you Hermione. I don't mind, it's not like I have a right to decide what to call you anyway."

Hermione stared at her in surprise and Daphne giggled slightly.

"Wow. Things must be really bad here. You shouldn't worry about Theo though. He has to act tough or the guys would never take him seriously."

She raised an eyebrow and smiled. Daphne was the only person yet to show any politeness to her and she decided that she would stick by her. At least having someone who didn't hate her might make everything somewhat more enjoyable.

"Urgh." Daphne groaned and Hermione looked at her in surprise. "What?"

"Look" she pointed to where a young blonde girl was dancing with Marcus Flint. "Astoria, my sister. Mother made me bring her. I mean, look at her dress! No one should ever leave the house in that shade of yellow."

Hermione was about to respond when a shadow fell over their sofa. She looked up to see Malfoy looming over them.

"Daphne, so nice to see you." He said smoothly. "And, Isabella" A slight smirk appeared on his face. "I do hope you're enjoying your first party in civilised society."

She glared. "I'm surrounded by Slytherins, Malfoy. I don't think there's any civility to be found." She glanced over at Daphne. "Present company excluded, it would seem."

The other girl smiled and looked back at the blonde Slytherin. "I see they're beginning the dancing. Care to dance?"

He shook his head sadly. "I'm afraid that if I stole your first dance Theo might never invite me back one of these parties."

Daphne laughed. "Well if he wants me to save a dance for him, he should hurry on over. If you won't dance with me, take Hermione. I'm sure she would love a dance."

Draco sighed reluctantly but held out a hand. "Miss Nott?"

Hermione scowled and sat back further but Daphne pushed her forwards. She took the outstretched hand and stood up. "What are you doing Malfoy?" she hissed.

"I'm dancing, Isabella. You do understand the concept?"

"Stop that." She hit his arm and he turned to her. "Stop what?"

"Stop calling me Isabella. Call me Granger, or something."

He raised one elegant eyebrow. "I'm afraid I can't do that, _Isabella._ It's not your name." He shrugged and spun her around. "So, I'm sure you must feel so relieved after your… ordeal."

"What are you talking about?"

"Living with muggles? Such terrible misfortune."

"How dare you?" She stepped away from him. "The only ordeal is being stuck here, talking to you."

He bowed his head slightly. "I'm afraid that I cannot compare to the horrors of the muggle world."

She pushed him away angrily. "Oh believe me Malfoy, you are far, far worse!"

She turned and stormed out, ignoring the shocked whispers and giggles. As soon as the door closed behind her Pansy proclaimed loudly that "Of course she has no manners, poor girl, raised by muggles" And with a loud laugh the party continued.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N Sorry! Sorry! Really I feel awful… I know this is three weeks late… oops. Anyways, I'll get the sixth chapter up ASAP and hopefully have the seventh up by Wednesday, and then I'll be back on schedule :) Love you all, especially those of you who've taken time to review/favourite/follow this story!

* * *

The house elf, Dinky, appeared with a crack in her doorway and Hermione looked up from her packing. She was surrounded by her trunk, robes and books, as well as a few mementos from home and was trying to decide what to bring. It had been days since she had left her room. Mr Nott had ordered her food be brought to her, after she had disobeyed him at the party.

"Mistress has a letter." Hermione sighed slightly. Clearly the elf was never going to get over calling her mistress.

"Thank you Dinky" She took the scroll of parchment and opened it. To her delight it was a message from Harry.

 _Hermione,_

 _Are you okay? What's happening? We're so sorry that this reply took so long, we were away visiting Ron's family and Mr Weasley took us camping. Has he hurt you? Do you need us to come? Do you know where he's keeping you?_

 _We spoke to Mr Weasley and he said that the Ministry should be able to test whether he is in fact, your father, and if he isn't we can prosecute him. But if he is, he doesn't think that there's much to be done… wizarding law dictates that until you turn seventeen your parents have complete control over you, with few exceptions._

 _If we don't see you at Hogwarts next week Mr Weasley will alert the Ministry and we'll come find you._

 _Stay safe._

 _Harry & Ron_

She grabbed a quill and penned a brief response, hoping that they weren't too worried. She was reluctant to write everything in a letter, so simply said that she would tell them more tomorrow.

 _Harry and Ron,_

 _Don't worry, I am alright and will see you tomorrow at the platform. I will explain everything when I see you. I hope your holidays were enjoyable, and I can't wait to see you both again._

 _Love, Hermione_

"Dinky, take this to the owlery will you?" She asked and the elf grinned happily and disappeared. Sighing, Hermione reluctantly turned back to her packing, a little happier now that she knew her friends hadn't abandoned her.

* * *

Hermione sat on her bed, looking around to check one final time that she hadn't left anything behind.

"Isabella?" She heard Mr Nott calling for her and took a deep breath. Levitating her trunk, she made her way down to the front entrance.

"Finally" Theo mumbled and she gave him a glare.

"Children." Mr Nott warned and she smirked as Theo scowled. "Very well. Since I cannot apparate with both of you, the chauffeur will take us to Kings Cross."

They stepped outside and into the dark car Hermione had seen from her window a few times.

"Remarkable investment of mine." She heard Mr Nott say from beside her. "Not like one of those muggle cars… doesn't need to be refuelled, doesn't need to travel along the ordinary motorways. Much faster, of course."

"Father. Perhaps we shouldn't bore her to death before we even reach Hogwarts." She saw Theo grin at his father and he chuckled. "I do apologise Isabella."

* * *

When they arrived at the platform she stood by Theo until Mr Nott had gone and then they both went their separate ways quickly. She stood alone for a few minutes.

"Hermione!" She spun round at the sound of her name being called and saw Harry and Ron run towards her. She threw her arms around the boys, relieved to finally be with people on her side.

"Are you okay? We thought- after you sent that letter…"

"It's so good to see you both! Come on, let's grab a compartment and I'll explain everything."

* * *

"So, he just turned up at your house, kidnapped you, and now you're living with him?" Harry asked incredulously.

"It's the law." Ron said, very seriously. Unfortunately Hermione burst out laughing at the chocolate smeared around his mouth. While he looked embarrassed and cleaned his face she confirmed his statement.

"Wizarding law dictates that a child is basically the property of the parent. The only exceptions are if the parents are in Azkaban, or confined to St Mungo's. It doesn't matter that he has a criminal record, he's a free man now so it's his business what he does."

"That's ridiculous!"

"The whole system is corrupt. But what it means, is that I can't do anything. He's definitely my biological father, he had a blood test done to prove it."

Harry scowled and slipped into silence.

"I guess all we have to be thankful for is that Rita Skeeter's still too scared of me to write any crap about this in the papers." Hermione said with a smile.

* * *

She was about to jump down off the train and rejoin Harry and Ron, who had been separated from her by a swarm of first years when she heard a voice behind her.

"Isabella."

She turned to see the blonde git watching her, a smirk on his lips.

"What do you want?"

He paused, considering his next words. "Father thought that it was best that I apologise for my words at the party. He and your father have been friends for a long time-"

"Save your simpering for someone who cares, Malfoy."

He drew himself up to his full height. "Malfoys do not simper Grang- Isabella"

She smirked at his slip and watched as he scowled. Turning on her heel she walked off, her head held high. She jumped up into the carriage holding Ron and Harry and sat down.

"You alright Hermione?" Harry asked. "Only, you look very… happy."

She smiled. "Don't worry Harry. I'm just looking forward to the feast."


	6. Chapter 6

A/N Sorry if these last two chapters seem rushed, I figured it would be better to just get them up quickly and then look over them x

* * *

"Who does that woman think she is?" Hermione spat, seething with rage as they hurried to their next class. "Interfering here at Hogwarts with that horrid giggle of hers- ugh" She threw herself down in her seat and looked over to where Harry and Ron were running to keep up. They joined her at the desk and she smiled to show that she was okay. Since they had arrived back at the castle the two boys had been hovering around her, trying to make sure that she was alright. It was kind, but unnecessary. Now that she was away from the mansion she was fine.

"Hermione?" Ron looked at her with concern. "How come ferret face keeps acting weirdly?"

"What?" She asked, looking over at the other side of the classroom, where Theo and friends were sitting. She caught Daphne's eye and smiled, but Malfoy was looking out of the window. She was about to ask Ron what he meant but Professor McGonagall walked briskly into the classroom and began to call out names.

Hermione glanced up in surprise as McGonagall seemed to skip over her name. She sat patiently, waiting to point out the error at the end. She let her mind wander until Theo's name was called, after which the Professor called "Nott, Isabella."

She sat in shock as Harry and Ron turned to stare at her. The rest of the class looked around, wondering who the unheard of Isabella was. Out of the corner of her eye Hermione saw Theo smirk smugly at her.

"Isabella?" McGonagall's voice was impatient as she looked pointedly at Hermione.

"That is not my name professor. I'd prefer to go by Hermione Granger." She said with a forcedly polite smile. She couldn't believe that he had actually dared tell the school that she had changed her name. It was ridiculous. She would never take his name.

At her words the other students began to whisper in confusion and excitement. Hermione looked down at her parchment, refusing to acknowledge the curious stares sent in her direction.

"Very well." The professor's words were clipped and she continued briskly with the register, making it clear that any speculation or rumours would have to wait until after her class.

* * *

"Miss Granger? A word please." Hermione sighed reluctantly and paused in her packing away. She motioned for Harry and Ron to continue on to their next lesson and turned to face her professor and Head of House.

"I understand that you have had a difficult summer. We are trying to be as accommodating as possible here at Hogwarts, after your father let us know of your situation we were all shocked."

She smiled kindly at the young girl. "I would just like you to know that we are all here for you. My office is always open should you want to talk, and if you need help with anything at all you must let me know."

"Thank you professor." Hermione turned and walked towards the door.

"Oh, and one more thing?"

She looked back at the older woman expectantly.

"Your father felt that it would be a good idea to have you resorted."

Hermione felt her head spin and she took a deep breath. This was a step too far. Without her friends she would never make it through the year. Mr Nott would just have to deal with her place in Gryffindor.

"I don't think that's necessary Professor. I fully trust that the Hat's decision was the right one."

A look of relief flashed briefly across Mcgonagall's face. "Very well. I will inform the Headmaster."

"Thank you."

* * *

"Isabella I wanted to speak to you-"

"Isabella I wanted to recommend a good conditioner-"

Hermione groaned inwardly as she heard Theo and Malfoy descend upon her in all of their irritating and annoying horribleness. She walked faster, determined to ignore them. She was almost at her next class and they could hardly follow her into Ancient runes.

"Isabella please-"

"Isabella honestly I think you could really do something about that birds nest if you just tried to unknot it-"

"Shut up Malfoy!" Hermione and Theo shouted in synchronisation, glaring at Malfoy before turning to glare at each other.

"Listen, father has been plaguing me with notes and I refuse to write some empty answer back to him again. I know that you're getting his mail, why can't you just write something to keep him happy?"

"I am so done with all of you! I never wanted this, and I'm under no obligation to write letters to the man who is currently making my life hell. Not only has he told the school to call me Isabella, he's decided that he can't bear to have a daughter in Gryffindor and he wants me resorted. I'm not giving in to any of his petty demands."

Theo sighed and ran a hand through his unkempt hair. "Maybe if you stopped whining he'd accept that you're capable of making your own decisions."

"I do not whine!" Hermione scowled at him and he walked away. Draco followed him, turning back only to smirk at Hermione and murmur;

"For the record, I think you'd look much better in green."


End file.
